REVELATIONS & BREAKUPS: A NEW DESTINY - BOOK III
by Robster80
Summary: Leading up to the end of this series. TK goes back in time to about a year before Ranma's death. Can he change history, or set it on its correct course?. The end of this book will shock you. Chapter 1 now up.
1. Prologue

A NEW DESTINY - Book 3: Revelations & Breakups  
Prologue  
  
By Robster80  
  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned or used in this story.  
  
  
From the Journal of Takeru "TK" Saotome:  
  
"I had the dream again.  
  
"It's been the same almost every night for two weeks now. Not a nightmare... at least I don't think so. It's more like... a memory.  
  
"Maybe I've been used to the peace I've had for about 6 months since I defeated Akuma. That's why I don't feel so easy with this dream reoccurring to me.  
  
"No one knows about this dream, not even Cell, Rusty, or Kari. They'd worry about me too much if they knew. Also, I don't even know what this is about myself. It seems as if... in the dream... I'm in two places at once.  
  
"When it starts, I'm in Tokyo, only something is very wrong. The city is mostly deserted for one thing. Also, there are some buildings that are destroyed or trashed. It feels very cold, as well, and I get the feeling it's not supposed to be the cold season.  
  
"I can hear the sounds of battle going on. It gets closer, as I soon find myself with Ranma, who is alive, Auntie Nodoka, and Kari. Kari looks younger, about 8-9. I can tell she's more afraid than cold. We're doing our best to keep warm, and trying to get away from the sounds of the fight.  
  
"Suddenly, we see a figure garbed in gold, orange, and purple clothes. His face is somewhat masked by a white and purple helmet. I want to say it's Friezor, but it isn't. Although, he does seem very familiar...  
  
"Suddenly, I'm no longer with the others. And I feel like my current age. I'm looking straight at the mysterious figure, and then I power up to my highest level, beyond Super Human. The guy is shocked by my power, and I shout at him, or hear myself shout five words:  
  
"'You will not pass me!'"  
  
"That's when it seems I'm flying straight at the guy, but then I wake up in cold sweat.  
  
"Why is this dream bothering me, and what do my family and Kari have to do with it? Is it a memory, something I've forgotten about that happened back when Ranma was alive?  
  
"Maybe I should talk to someone about this dream, preferably someone from the Mega Avengers, other than Rusty. I haven't seen Tetsuo since he was relocated to America to restart his life, and he really doesn't need to be bothered with my problems. Freddie seems like a logical choice, but ALF told me he's back home in France.  
  
"It's times like these... I wish Burter were here. No, I can't think like that! I'm 16, soon to be 17 in a month or so. I'm not a little kid anymore.  
  
"...Maybe I should talk to Dr. Tofu or Kasumi about this dream after school today..."  
  
  
Entry Date: 03/18/05  
  
  
  
End Prologue  
  
  
Author's Notes: Yes, three more peaceful months have passed for TK. But now, that peace will be shattered as he finds himself taking an unexpected trip into the past...  
  
Sorry, but after seeing "The Lord of the Rings" movie last month, I couldn't get this idea out of my head. BOYZ is ready to get back on track with part 8, and part 9 is about to begin production as well. Till then... 


	2. Into the Past

A NEW DESTINY – Book 3: Revelations and Breakups  
Part 1 – Into the Past  
  
By Robster80  
  
  
Okay, you're probably thinking "TK's avenged his cousin, got the girl, and has become a human powerhouse… why hasn't this series ended?" The answer: way back in book 1, I left a plothole open, and I intend to lead into it near the end of this book and into Book 4.  
  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Characters use din this story save for King Robert/Blue Goblin.  
  
Important notes: From here on, several months have passed since the end of Book 2. TK and Kari are still dating, Cell has been spending a bit more time with King, and Nodoka is near the end of her pregnancy.  
  
  
  
Kari, ALF, Cell, Dinobot, and former Mega Avengers' member Hiei stood behind a monitoring booth, ready to watch the first testing of Duo's upgraded Gundam Deathscythe-Hell. Dinobot was there in case there would be injuries, ALF was supervising the test, and the others were there mainly because TK had volunteered to be Duo's opponent.  
  
Although the Deathscythe-Hell Custom had been stripped of its breaker shield and the beam scythe reduced to a single blade, it was still agile, stealthy, and fast. The body and limbs were redesigned with several points to give it a demonic look, and large batlike wings were on the back that, when folded, provides a body shield for the Gundam.  
  
"You ready for a thrashing, TK?"  
  
Opposite Duo was TK, wearing an old GM Quel Prototype mobile suit. It was a bit taller than the Deathcsythe-Hell, but shared a similar dark color scheme. The eyes of the GM were one big orange visor, and the body was similar to the RX-178 Gundam mark 2. Its weapons consisted of a large shield, one beam saber, and a 90 mm GM rifle.  
  
TK held up the rifle in his right hand, the shield grasped by the handle in his left hand. "Show me what you got, Duo."  
  
Kari seemed a little nervous about this. TK was a martial artist, but piloting a MS was brand new to him.  
  
Cell and Hiei seemed emotionless. If they were concerned about TK, they didn't show it at all.  
  
ALF pressed a button, activating the intercom. "Okay, boys. Let's have a clean fight."  
  
Duo activated the beam scythe and charged at TK, who immediately fired his rifle. The bullets just bounced off of the Gundam's body as it flew towards its target.  
  
"That's pathetic," Duo cried as he swung the scythe. TK had barely managed to jump up, missing the beam scythe by a few seconds. Duo swung again, only to hit TK's shield.  
  
Dinobot rubbed his chin. "Looks like TK's having some trouble with that old relic."  
  
"Don't let Rob catch you saying that," Hiei stated. "That was one of his favorite suits, next to his GM Blue Destiny."  
  
Duo kept pounding on TK's shield, getting angrier each time. "Stop hiding behind that scrap sheet and FIGHT BACK! DAMMIT, QUIT SHOWING OFF TO YOUR STUPID GIRLFRIEND!"  
  
That made TK mad. "Duo, you can say anything you want about me…"  
  
TK pushed forward and knocked Duo backward before tossing away his shield and rifle.  
  
Duo was shocked. "Have you lost your mind or something?"  
  
"But when you insult Kari, IT'S WAR!"  
  
It all happened in a blur. TK drew his beam saber from the MG QUel's back, activated it, and launched an attack on Duo. The Gundam pilot, mostly due to the surprise of such an assault, was now having problems defending himself and fighting back.  
  
Cell gave a cocky smile as TK kept attacking, never giving Duo a chance to fight back. "Duo may be a better pilot, but TK's a much better swordsman."  
  
Kari glanced at Hiei. "That reminds me, how was your sparring match with TK a few weeks back?"  
  
Hiei just snorted, and Kari giggled. She felt a little proud to be dating probably the most powerful human being in existence. After all, few girls could brag that their boyfriends were able to fly, shoot energy beams from their bodies, or even take on demons and aliens and live to tell about it.  
  
"This is great," ALF said. "The data we're getting will help try to work out the flaws in the Deathscythe-Hell Custom. Not to mention it'll get Duo to start his training again. That boy's been slacking off for some time now."  
  
ALF had said this aloud so that Duo could hear him. It was a little harsh but true. He had been getting lazy, and now this older MS piloted by a novice was kicking his butt.  
  
"TK, you're starting to TICK ME OFF!"  
  
Both suits swung their blades almost simultaneously. The beams clashed, and then held at a stalemate. Duo and TK held their ground, neither moving back or forward.  
  
A bright light was emitting from the collided beams, causing those in the booth to shield their eyes. Except for Dinobot, who had switched his vision so that he could still see. "Helluva show."  
  
Suddenly, Duo pushed forward with all his might. TK stumbled backward, which gave Duo the time he needed to swing his scythe at the hilt of TK's beam saber. Since they were in a test fight, the powers of the beams were reduced so that no physical harm could be done. However, it was slow enough to short out TK's saber, deactivating it.  
  
Victory assured, Duo raised his beam scythe for one more swing. "You're dead!"  
  
What happened next shocked everyone watching. As Duo started to swing, TK pulled back his right fist, which was glowing with blue ki. A split second later, he lunged forward, his right fist flying ahead of him.  
  
"BURN KNUCKLE!!"  
  
"WHAT THE-?!"  
  
Jaws dropped as the Burn Knuckle barely passed by Duo's right shoulder and smashed through the wing, breaking it off.  
  
"End the test," ALF ordered. "Dinobot, get in there and check for injuries! I want those suits off them now!"  
  
Duo stood frozen, holding his lowered beam scythe in front of him. His right wing lay on the floor, broken.  
  
"H-holy…"  
  
TK was standing with his right arm sticking out before him. He had been surprised by his actions as well. It had been like a reflex, using that technique. The GM's right hand, amazingly, was still intact. He remained frozen until he felt someone tearing the MS off of him.  
  
"TK, snap out of it!"  
  
TK blinked, acknowledging Cell's voice as his helmet came off. A pair of soft cinnamon eyes stared into his blue eyes. "Kari?"  
  
"Are you okay? Does your hand hurt at all?"  
  
TK raised his hand, not aware that the MS arm on it had been removed. He moved his fingers a little. "No. It's fine."  
  
"Amazing!"  
  
TK and Kari turned to see Hiei examining the GM Quel's right hand. "It's not broken anywhere… and it's not even warm! Rob broke his suit's arm when he tried a Thunder Punch with it on. How did-?"  
  
"MY DEATHSCYTHE!"  
  
All eyes were on Duo, who was on his knees near the broken wing. Tears ran down his face while his hands were in his hair, pulling it out of shock and frustration. "Aaaaah, my beautiful, customized Deathscythe!"  
  
Cell whispered to TK, "I think you'd better get going, kid, before he realizes you're still here."  
  
TK looked at the grief-stricken Duo. Figuring that Cell had the right idea, he took Kari by the hand and rushed out of the room.  
  
ALF examined the place on the Deathscythe were the wing had been broken off. He sighed heavily. "Rusty and Jinnai are gonna scream when they see this."  
  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
[It's been almost 7 months,] Kari mentally told herself as she waited for TK in the lounge. Yes, 7 months had gone by since she and TK had started dating for real, since he had fought Stryker and Akuma. Thinking about those two made her shiver.  
  
[Don't think about them! Think about what went on afterwards!]  
  
After Christmas, Kari asked TK to train her. Actually, her mother asked TK for her, but it worked out in the end. Although TK was a hard trainer, Kari had learned to concentrate a little ki energy. She hadn't learned to use her ki to fly just yet, since she was still perfecting ki attacks, but she was taking her time with it.  
  
TK and Kari were spending more and more time together, whether in school, at the mansion, or at either of their apartments. She didn't complain. It was a great improvement since TK first moved to Tokyo, and Kari hoped it never went back to those days.  
  
Some days were spent with Mrs. Saotome, who was near the end of her pregnancy. Kari and TK would visit his aunt at Ukyo's restaurant, and sometimes the hospital when she went for check-ups. Ranma's baby sister, whom was decided to be called Ranko, would be a very healthy child when Mrs. Saotome would give birth.  
  
As she waited, Kari tried to think about what to get TK. His 17th birthday was a few weeks away, and she hadn't decided what to give him yet. Asking around didn't help much. No one else, not even Cell, knew what to get him since he rarely asked for anything.  
  
"Yo!"  
  
Kari looked up with a start. "Don't spook me like that, Hiei!"  
  
The demon grinned as he sat in the one chair opposite from the couch where Kari was on. "I have that effect on people, so don't flip out. So, thinking about what to get loverboy for his birthday?"  
  
Not knowing why, Kari blushed at the word Hiei used to describe TK. She turned her eyes away from him. "It shows, doesn't it?"  
  
"It does now, Kari. …If all else fails, why not just make him a special dinner on his birthday, for just the two of you. Botan knows this great dress shop that's got good prices."  
  
Kari looked at Hiei again. "You're trying to prevent TK from ending up like Ranma, aren't you? You and most of the others."  
  
"Guilty as charged. But can you really blame us?"  
  
"You're just trying a little too hard, that's all. I'd like to have some privacy with TK for more than just five minutes."  
  
Hiei widened his grin. "Which is why it's being set up so you get him all to yourself on his birthday."  
  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
Rusty fell backward onto the floor of his workshop, laughing like mad.  
  
"I fail to see what's so funny about this!"  
  
A tall man with black hair, wearing a gray mechanic's suit, frowned at the laughing Spider-Thing. He was standing near a large table where the Deathsctythe was laying on.  
  
"Rusty, don't you remember that it took us weeks to make the wings for the DH Custom?!"  
  
Rusty stopped laughing and rolled back onto his feet. A few tears were in his eyes from laughing so hard. "Sorry, Jinnai. But it's just so damn funny that TK broke in minutes what we made in months."  
  
Standing outside the door of the lab, TK's face was bright pink.  
  
"Well, at least the Quel's hand wasn't damaged from that move the kid made. I'm even puzzled as to how that happened."  
  
"We'll worry about that later. Right now, we'd better get started on fixing that wing. I doubt it'll take us more than a few days…"  
  
TK didn't stay long to hear the rest. He walked off to join Kari in the lounge. Hiei was there, too. "How's Duo?"  
  
Hiei stood up from his chair. "Physically, he's fine. However, I'd steer clear of him for a while until he's gotten over this. Super human or no, he'll strangle you."  
  
As TK sat down on the couch with Kari, he felt her arms encircle his neck. "He'll have to get through me first! TK's been giving me lessons, after all."  
  
However, TK wasn't paying attention to Hiei or Kari. That moment when he rushed at Duo during the fight had brought back his reoccurring dream to him. Though he had planned to see Dr. Tofu about the dream, he kept putting it off for reasons he didn't know. Was he afraid of what the dream could mean?  
  
"Wake up and go to sleep!"  
  
Again, TK's thoughts were broken by Cell's voice. He looked at Kari, who still held him close; then at Hiei, and finally at Cell.  
  
"Mind telling us what's on your mind, kid?"  
  
There was a brief silence for a moment before Tk stood up, Kari's arms sliding off of him as he did this.  
  
"I need to see Dinobot about something. …I've been having a dream that's bothering me."  
  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
"…And then I wake up in sweat."  
  
Dinobot put down his datapad, glancing at his patient. TK was lying on a sofa, staring at the ceiling as Kari sat beside him, stroking his one hand in hers.  
  
"This is very strange," the Transformer stated. "The way you described everything… it's like I've heard of it before, several years ago when I first joined the MA."  
  
Cell, who had been leaning against the one wall with his arms crossed, spoke up. "I think I have a vague idea about all this. Several years ago, invaders from space tried to freeze Earth so it could be habitable for them, using Tokyo as their base of operations. It was back when Ranma was alive, about a year or two before his murder."  
  
He glanced at TK and Kari. "If I remember correctly, you two were there when it all happened."  
  
"That would explain why I saw Kari and I as kids," TK said, still looking up. "But why did I suddenly change from my younger self into who I am now in the dream?"  
  
Dinobot suddenly stood up. "Somebody go get Rusty and ALF! This looks like a job for the Window of Time!"  
  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
TK held Kari's hand as they watched Rusty, Dinobot, and Jinnai set up a large machine that resembled a dimensional portal from a sci-fi movie. Hiei had explained to them and ALF that is was like a time machine that showed the past, present, or future, and that it was given to them by Dr. Doom about 9 years ago.  
  
"I have a very bad feeling about this idea," Rusty said as he manned a control panel. "The last time we used this, Jinnai ended up in a possible future for, to him, almost a year before we found a way to get him back."  
  
Jinnai nodded in agreement as he turned a dial on a power generator. "That's why Rob said we should never turn this thing on again. Still, I did enhance my mechanical skills greatly from my stay in 2078."  
  
Kari felt TK gently squeeze her hand as the machine was nearly set-up. She looked at him, wondering what he was feeling about all of this. "You don't have to do this… if you're afraid."  
  
"It's not that I'm afraid," TK said honestly. "It's just… I don't want to have this dream haunt me for the rest of my life."  
  
"All set!"  
  
Dinobot went over to another control panel and punched in a few buttons. The numbers 6-11-98 and 12:31, and the name "Nerima District" appeared in red on the one counter. Dinobot looked over at Jinnai. "Okay, contact!"  
  
Jinnai threw a switch on the generator. "Switch on!"  
  
Rusty, who was now at the Window itself, pressed a button on the one side of the "frame." "Switch on!"  
  
The space where the wall of the room could be seen vanished into static. Then, the picture cleared and the view of the Nerima of the past could be seen.  
  
TK was awed by the sight. He moved forward slowly to get a better look. Kari followed him, still holding his hand. She, too, was in awe.  
  
Dinobot checked the counter again. "This is several hours before the invasion. Silly me, I must have-." He looked up at the screen, and horror surged through him.  
  
TK was reaching out at the screen, just about to touch it. No one else was watching as they were more concerned with the generator's power meter reaching the red zone.  
  
Dinobot started to run at the teens.  
  
"NO, DON'T TOUCH THE-!"  
  
He was too little, too late. The moment TK's fingers touched the screen, it began to pull him into it slowly. By the time he had noticed this, his arm was more than halfway through the screen. "Help!"  
  
"Takeru!"  
  
TK looked to see Kari try to pull him back, but it was useless. She was being pulled in with him. "Kari, let go or you'll be pulled in, too!"  
  
"I won't!"  
  
Dinobot grabbed Kari from behind and pulled just as TK let go of her hand. They fell backward to the floor just as the screen sucked TK in it fully. The others reached them just as the generator blew a fuse and died, turning the Window off.  
  
"Takeru," Kari exclaimed, looking around. "Where is he?"  
  
ALF pointed at the generator. "Get that damned thing back on now!  
  
Jinnai, who remained at the burned-out machine, kicked it in frustration and anger. "This goddamn piece of crap is shot to hell! There's no way it'll run again, even if we get the right parts."  
  
Hiei looked at the generator, his eyes wide with horror. "Without a power source like that generator…" He turned toward the Window. "Then TK's trapped in the past… without any way to get back to this time."  
  
Kari paled at the realization. She might never see TK again. He might grow old or die in the past. He was gone from her life once more. Perhaps forever.  
  
"TAKERU!!"  
  
  
********************************************************************************  
  
  
Groaning, TK picked himself off of the ground he had fallen on. His head hurt a little, and his eyes were still closed. "I feel like I got hit over the head with a grand piano…"  
  
"GET BACK HERE, YOU KIDNAPPER!"  
  
As the shout reached his ears, TK's eyes flew wide open. [That voice… Ranma?!] He looked around, scanning the area. He was in the park of the Nerima District.  
  
"Follow me, cross-dresser, if you want to save these two kids you care so much about!"  
  
The other voice TK didn't recognize, but from the tone and use of the word "cross-dresser," he had a hunch who it was.  
  
Quietly, TK hid inside several bushes as the voices drew closer. Moving enough leaves to see without revealing his location, he saw a teen with brown hair and green clothes leap into view. The teen was carrying two little kids in his arms, either looking about 8 or 9 years old.  
  
"This should do it," the teen said as another teen, black-haired with a pigtail and wearing Chinese clothes, suddenly appeared.  
  
"Gimme back my cousin and his friend, you monster!"  
  
TK gasped softly at the sight. The black-haired teen was Ranma, a younger Ranma at that. But Ranma was dead.  
  
[Am I in the past? Did touching the Window send me here by a freak accident?!]  
  
"You okay, TK?"  
  
Hearing his name, TK's focus returned to the scene before him.  
  
"Don't worry about me, Ranma! Save Kari!"  
  
TK took another look at the two kids the green teen was holding hostage. He nearly cried out in shock as he recognized their clothes.  
  
The two kids were his younger self and Kari, when they were 9.  
  
  
  
TO BE CONTINUED…  
  
  
Author's Notes: Jinnai is from El Hazard, and unlike his original self, he's a mellow guy who never went to El Hazard or gained the power to speak fluent Bugrom but is a talented mechanic who works as Rusty's assistant and main mechanic for the MA. Hiei is taken from Yu Yu Hakusho, and though I never intended on using him in the original draft, I was inspired by a ND side story starring him by my friend demonite09.  
  
What happens next? Well, TK meets the past versions of Ranma and the gang plus Cell and the Mega Avengers, and as he is tempted to change history a large planetoid is on a collision course with the Earth. I can say no more, so please R&R and be patient. 


	3. Salt on the Wounds

New Destiny: Book 3 - Revelations and Break-Ups  
Part 2: Salt On the Wounds  
  
Minor note: I goofed up on the time TK was flung back into. It's supposed to be a year before Ranma died, not two years. My bad.  
TK couldn't believe the situation he was in. One minute he was watching the past through a machine called the Window of Time, with Kari, Rusty, and others with him; and then the next thing he new, he had been pulled into the past he was watching after he touched the Window's "screen." The past was over a year before Akane would reject Ranma for good, before he would die from wounds received by Friezor, before TK would dedicate his life to training himself and become the true heir to the Saotome School of "Anything-Goes" Martial Arts.  
  
The scene laid out before him wasn't familiar to him. Ranma had just chased Pantyhose Tarou, his deadliest rival, to the middle of the Nerima Park. Tarou held TK's 9-year-old self in one arm and Kari, also 9, under his other arm. Obviously, the teen had kidnapped them in his latest attempt to get his name changed.  
  
TK remembered what Happosai and Ranma's journal had told him about Tarou. He had been born in Jusenkyo, China, delivered by Happosai himself, accidentally bathed with water from the Spring of Drowned Yeti-Riding-Ox-While-Carrying-Crane-And-Eel, and even given his name by the old letch. It was a name Tarou hated with a passion, more so than the fact that he turned into a minotaur with crane wings and an eel's tail. In fact, it was his secret weapon in fights.  
  
"Now," Tarou sneered at Ranma. "Are you going to do as I say, or do I have to play rough with the kids here?"  
  
From the bushes, TK could see Ranma was tortured just standing there. It was too risky attacking Tarou. The kids might get hurt if he tried anything. "Tarou, I'm trying to tell you, the old freak left hours ago and we don't know where or when he'll show up again. Just let the kids go and you can kick me around as much as you want. I won't fight back."  
  
"How do I know that, cross-dresser? You're Happosai's heir, and that makes you untrustworthy."  
  
"I trust him a lot more than I trust you, coward!"  
  
Tarou looked down at the young TK. A scowl was on his face. "What did you just call me?"  
  
"He called you a coward," Kari answered for her friend. "And I agree. I mean, kidnapping a pair of little kids like us just to get your own way-. AAAH!"  
  
"Kari! UUUGGH!!"  
  
They screamed as Tarou started to squeeze them in his arms, angered by their words. However, he wasn't that angry. Being called a coward was better than being called by his real name.  
  
Ranma was horrified. "TAROU!!! LEAVE THEM ALONE!!!"  
  
Tarou flashed a devious grin. "Oh shut it, cross-dresser! It's not my fault these kids have shit for brains."  
  
Enough was enough. Unable to stand watching his, and Kari's, younger self being tortured, TK used his speed to first knock the wind out of Tarou, then delivered a strong kick to the chin, and grabbed the two children as Tarou loosened his grip and stumbled backward.  
  
"You should watch that mouth of yours, pal," TK said. "There are children present, after all. We wouldn't want to warp their young minds." He looked down at the kids. "You two okay?"  
  
"Never mind me, mister. Kari, you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine. And you?"  
  
Young TK smiled. "Same."  
  
Ranma and Tarou were shocked. Where did this new guy come from, and how did he do what he just did?  
  
TK quickly set the kids down and motioned for them to go to Ranma. "Have Ranma find you two a shady spot. I'll handle this guy."  
  
Tarou put a hand to his chin, which felt sore. "I don't know who the hell you are, but I don't care anymore-!"  
  
"I told you before," TK said as he got into a stance. "Watch your language!"  
  
"Who's gonna make me?"  
  
"Me, that's who... PANTYHOSE TAROU!!!!"  
  
An awed hush filled the air, as everyone stood frozen in place. Ranma's eyes were as big as saucers. This guy just called Tarou by his full name. Either he had guts, or was really stupid.  
  
"NOW YOU DIE!!!!"  
  
TK didn't have time to make a move as Tarou launched a fury of attacks on him. Blind rage consumed the green-clad martial artist. It wasn't enough that this fool had to say his full name, but he had to shout it out loud for the world to hear.  
  
Ranma hugged young TK and Kari tight, wincing at the beating the stranger was taking. But then, he noticed something rather odd. The stranger's feet and legs never moved from their spot. No matter how many times, or how hard Tarou hit him, he remained in that same spot, never moving back.  
  
Finally, Tarou stopped to grin at his punching bag, only to have the grin fade as TK slowly moved his head to look him in the eye. A trickle of blood trailed from his nose; another from his lips, and his mouth had a bitter taste. Yet he had never moved his legs during the beating.  
  
"What the bloody hell?!"  
  
TK turned his head to spit out the bloody saliva in his mouth, and then looked back at Tarou while using his hand to wipe the blood from his face.  
  
"For the last time... watch your MOUTH!"  
  
With those last three words, TK gave Tarou a hard punch to the jaw that sent him sprawling towards a nearby lake. He fell in with a loud splash.  
  
"No," Ranma shouted. "You don't know what you've done-!"  
  
"I know about his Jusenkyo Curse."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"Just trust me."  
  
Suddenly, a hulking beast with bullhorns and crane wings rose up from the lake, glaring at TK. It made a chuckling noise, like it was laughing at the fool's mistake.  
  
TK just smiled. "Let's party."  
  
Tarou charged straight at TK and swung a punch, only to hit air as the teen vanished. Confusion soon turned to amazement as Tarou's target reappeared, hovering in front of him, upside-down.  
  
Before anyone could speak or comprehend what had just happened, TK started to pummel the minotaur senseless in no time flat. It fell to the ground with a loud thud as Akane, Genma, Soun, Nodoka, and Happosai appeared alongside Ranma and the kids.  
  
TK dusted his hands while standing over the beaten Tarou. "That takes care of him." He then looked over to see everyone stare at him funny.  
  
"How did you do that," Akane asked, her hand clutching the handle of a kettle, likely filled with hot water. "Are you a Saiyan?"  
  
"No, I'm human."  
  
Happosai hopped over to further examine Tarou. "Very interesting," he said before looking TK in the eye. "What school do you hail from, my boy?"  
  
"Uh... I trained under different styles, so technically I don't belong to any school." {Gotta watch what I say. Can't let on that I'm the heir to the Saotome School.}  
  
"Say, maybe you'd like to train under me? I'm a master of martial arts myself-."  
  
TK quickly crossed his arms. "No thanks, Happosai. I heard about you from outside sources, and I have no intension of becoming a panty thief!" {Besides, the only real martial arts you could teach me when I started training were the basics.}  
  
Just then, Ranma walked over to TK. "I don't know who you are or how you're so strong," he said, "but now I really don't care." He stuck out his hand. "Thanks for saving my cousin and his friend. My name's Ranma."  
  
Awkwardly, TK shook Ranma's hand. "Call me Takeru."  
  
"Hey," Young TK exclaimed. "We have the same first name! Only everybody calls me TK, for short."  
  
Now everyone had gotten near TK, offering their thanks and raising a few questions, most of which TK answered, "It's a secret, sorry."  
  
Finally, TK took the kettle from Akane and poured it on the still unconscious Tarou, reverting him to human form. He didn't even flinch or wake up from the heated water on his skin. Once this was done, TK slung him over his shoulder. "I'm going to take this guy somewhere out of the way where he won't bother anyone else around here. Be right back." Having said this, he put his two fingers to his forehead and vanished, leaving everyone shocked.  
  
"Holy-!" Genma stammered. "How does he know the Instant Transmission Technique?! Only Cell, Goku, and Blue Goblin can use it!"  
  
Just then, TK suddenly reappeared before everyone, but without Tarou. "He won't be back anytime soon," he stated as-a-matter-of-factly.  
  
"Where did you go," Kari asked.  
  
TK smiled at her. "I dropped him off in the Jusendo tribe's village in China. If they don't keep him occupied, I left him a little something that should get him off your backs." {It's a good thing Happosai gave me that envelope back when he trained me. Though I never realized that by giving it to Tarou now that he'd leave Ranma alone ever since...}  
********************************************************************************  
With a weak smile, Happosai tremblingly handed a manila envelope to the 10-year-old TK, who was wearing a new gi for his training. It had only been three days since Ranma had been buried, and the young boy had been eager to start his training and earn his right as heir to the Saotome School.  
  
"What's this, Happosai?"  
  
"That," Happosai said, "is an official letter for Tarou, a boy I helped deliver and then named in Jusenkyo, China many years ago. I gave him the name 'Pantyhose Tarou,' and since then he has sought me out to make me give him a new name. However, he hasn't come to Nerima for a long time now, and I think he finally gave up on the whole thing."  
  
"What's in this letter?"  
  
"Tarou's new name. TK, I'll be honest with you: I don't have much longer to live, so when and if you encounter Tarou, give him this envelope. I'll rest easier in the afterlife or limbo knowing at least my own hands have righted one of my wrongs."  
  
"But what if he doesn't like the new name?"  
  
"Then you tell him he can either take the new name or leave it and keep his current one. If he wants the new name, he merely has to take that letter to a lawyer and it will be made legal, as per the instructions also inside that envelope. Do you understand, TK?"  
  
"Yes. I understand."  
********************************************************************************  
It felt strange, TK realized, having dinner in the Tendo House, especially since it was in the past. But he couldn't refuse the invitation given to him by Soun and Nodoka.  
  
A part of him wanted to tell them everything; that he was from seven years in the future where Ranma was dead, Akane had married Ryoga, and that he was really TK, the successor to the Saotome School. He wanted to change history for the better. However, that would seem impossible. They might take him for a lunatic since his younger self was present, not to mention Nabiki would ask certain key questions about his time.  
  
But he had to get back somehow, he told himself as he ate. "Staying in the past for a long period of time could have dire consequences," he could almost hear Rusty tell him. "Look what happened with Cell. He spent over a thousand years in the past and he altered history somewhat."  
  
Ranma had mentioned Cell dropping by later. Maybe TK could ask the MA for help. Rusty was a member around this time, and so was a younger Jinnai.  
  
"Would you like more tea, Takeru?"  
  
TK looked up to see Kasumi standing over him, a smile on her face and the teakettle in her hands. The smile was real, TK noted. It was warm and friendly. He remembered Kasumi's smile from his time, after Ranma had died. It was empty, a shadow of this current smile.  
  
"Yes, please," TK said while raising his glass.  
  
"Are you saying it was my fault Tarou took the kids?"  
  
All eyes locked onto Ranma, who was starting to get angry with Akane. She was also getting angry, P-chan almost grinning in her lap at the coming fight. "Well, you were the one supposedly watching them this afternoon, Ranma. Or did you sneak off to see Ukyo or Shampoo?"  
  
"Tarou got the drop on me, okay? With that guy, you never know when and where he'll show up next!"  
  
"Then you should have kept a closer eye on TK and Kari!"  
  
"Akane," Young TK cried, "it wasn't Ranma's fault. He was just surprised, like he said. Right, Kari?"  
  
Kari was about to say she agreed, and that Akane was making a senseless argument since no one was really hurt. However, Akane raised her hand to cur her off. "Please don't try to defend him, you two. If he had been a better babysitter, you two wouldn't have been taken."  
  
"You could have helped, you know, instead of babying that pig of yours!"  
  
Akane hugged P-chan tight to her chest, which made him blush. "Leave P-chan out of this, Ranma! And don't blame him for YOUR incompetence!"  
  
"It wasn't my fault, you uncute tomboy!"  
  
"Yes it was, you perverted jerk-!"  
  
A sudden shattering noise caught everyone's attention, shifting focus to TK's hand. His grip had tightened during the argument as he remembered Ranma telling him how Akane left him for Ryoga, how Cell said that perhaps she never really loved Ranma at all, how Ranma's last words were to tell Akane he loved her. A few tears fell from his face while blood dripped from his cut palm and fingers.  
  
Kasumi quickly put down the kettle and pulled out a handkerchief. "Here, let me help-!"  
  
"LEAVE ME ALONE," TK yelled, knocking Kasumi's hands away and getting up quickly. "ALL OF YOU!" He the dashed out of the room and, from the sounds of the door opening and slamming, out of the house. There were bloodstains trailing from the table to the door from his wounds.  
  
"What was that all about," Soun wondered aloud, clueless as the others.  
  
Nodoka eyed the blood. "I hope he's okay."  
********************************************************************************  
The streets were deserted as TK ran through them under the dusk sky. He didn't know this, but if he did, he wouldn't have cared. Teardrops and blood drops flew behind him as he kept going to nowhere at all.  
  
It was too much for him. Being years in the past, seeing Ranma alive, watching him and Akane arguing like that while knowing the future that they were creating for themselves, it was too much for TK; it was all too much to bear.   
  
He needed someone to talk to, some one to confide in. The problem was who. Anyone he told about this might try to alter the future. Kari would probably understand, be she was too young. His aunt and uncle, Mr. Tendo, Kasumi, Rob, Ami, Ukyo, Shampoo, Mousse, Cell, Rusty, they were all out of the question. Even Burter, who was still alive and a member of the MA around this time, wouldn't be able to keep this a secret.  
  
Finally, his legs gave out and he fell on a set of stairs. A familiar set of stairs.  
  
"What the-?! Rob, Ami, you'd better get out here!"  
  
TK knew that voice anywhere. It was Burter's. Somehow he had ended up running to the front steps of the Mega Mansion.  
  
"Burter, what happened?"  
  
"I just found him there on my way out for my usual walk."  
  
"I'll get the medical kit. Have him taken to the guest room! One side, Cell!"  
  
"Hey, that's the kid Ranma was telling me about over the phone!"  
  
"Fill us in after we get him to bed and tend to his hand. Try not to talk, okay? Just relax."  
  
TK managed to spit out the words before he got dizzy from the blood loss. "Easy fer you t' say, toots."  
  
Ami gave a sympathetic smile. "If my boyfriend heard that, you'd be hurting worse than you are now."  
********************************************************************************  
Ranma and Akane rushed into the guest room of the Mega Mansion to find TK lying in bed. His hand had been treated and a cold, wet washcloth was on his forehead. "How is he," Ranma asked Ami, Cell, and Rob.  
  
"Just a little tired," Rob said. "From the crying and loss of blood. He'll be okay, though. How'd he hurt his hand, though?"  
  
"He put too much pressure on the glass he was holding," Akane started to explain. "It must have been while Ranma and I were arguing at the table earlier. But what I don't understand is why he did that?"  
  
"It's because you and Ranma were fighting, Akane Tendo."  
  
Everyone looked to see a tall woman with long, dark green hair standing at the door to the room. In her hand was a long staff with a gem heart at the top of it.  
  
Ami recognized her right away. "Setsuna!"  
  
Cell crossed his arms. "What does the Sailor Scout of Time have to do with this?"  
  
Setsuna calmly stepped forward to the bed, Ranma and the others giving way for her. She never took her eyes off of TK. "This boy... is from seven years in the future."  
  
Only Cell wasn't shocked by this answer. "Okay, so who is he?"  
  
"His name is Takeru. That is all you need to know."  
  
"Then he's the future version of TK?" Ranma asked.  
  
"I did not say that, Ranma Saotome. As for why watching you argue with Akane made hi so upset, it's because of his parents."  
  
"I get it," Rob exclaimed. "His parents must be divorced and you two must've reminded him of when his folks argued before they split up. But what's he doing back here in the past, our present?"  
  
"You don't have to worry about that, Prince Robert. Now you must all leave this room. I wish to speak with him when he wakes up. And should I find anyone listening in-."  
  
"We get the message, Setsuna. You heard the lady, gang."  
  
Cell ushered everyone else out, including himself, leaving Setsuna and TK alone. She tilted her staff over him and a light green beam covered him. His bandages came off as his hand began to heal. Slowly, his eye began to open.  
  
"Well," Setsuna began, "you nearly caused a lot of trouble for me, Takeru Saotome."  
  
TK looked over at her. "You must be Sailor Pluto. So, are you going to send me back to my time?"  
  
"I'm afraid not just yet. Although you present the risk of revealing too much about the future, you are needed in this time for the evil that is coming."  
  
"Then those dreams I had... you gave them to me?"  
  
"Yes. And it was no coincidence that the others decided to use the window of time. Although, I didn't exactly plan on the generator giving out after you came here."  
  
This made TK sit up straight. "You mean I'm trapped here?!"  
  
Setsuna simply raised her hand. "Please control yourself, Takeru. Dr. Doom will arrive tomorrow to help Rusty and the others build the window of time. Until then, be on your guard and please try not to tell anyone of what is to come!"  
  
"But... It's so hard for me to keep it inside. I've dreamed of this chance to prevent Ranma from dying, and now I have that chance..."  
  
Setsune then sat down and hugged TK gently. "I know it's difficult. If I wanted to, I would have stepped in that night and saved you and Ranma. However, even I am bound by the laws of time."  
  
"It would be easier... if I had someone to confide with."  
  
"You could confide in me. Though I've seen Ranma's death, I'm willing to listen to your story."  
  
"...Thank you. Just one thing, though."  
  
Setsuna just smiled. "Don't worry. Kari won't find out about this. I promise you."  
  
And so TK talked about that night Friezor attacked, and Setsuna listened until he grew tired and went to sleep in her lap.  
  
"If you only knew," she said with some sadness, "what the very near future holds for you. And for Kari, and for Cell."  
To Be Continued...  
  
A/N: Seems I'm getting in a rut here. Three times I had TK break something in his hand and it got cut (unless you count that Dagger in the Heart is a rewrite of someone else's fic). Well, I don't plan on using it anymore, at least not with TK. As for what Setsuna said at the end, I'm saving that for the end of this book. And if it seems I repeated the fact that this was all before Ranma's death and Akane's rejection of him, I apologize.  
  
Also, sorry this took so long to get out. It's my last year here at college and, to be honest, I'm a little scared about what happens after the summer when my part-time is over. Plus I have been busy at my internship at one of the central Pennsylvanian newspapers. Recently, I was given my first two assignments from the editor and I managed to get them done finally. Before I just handed the editors articles I just did in my Feature Writing class, but now I have 2 more articles to add to my final portfolio at the end of the semester.  
  
So, what happens in part 3? Well, if you've seen DBZ movie 4, you know how it all starts (excluding the scene where Gohan visits Piccolo and we find Namek's hate whistling). If you haven't, then you'll just have to wait and see, won't you? And for those of you who missed Burter since his death in book 1 and brief voice cameo in book 2, I'm sorry he didn't have much of a part in this chapter, but he'll be around for the next 1-2 chapters, at least.  
  
Till next time, gang! 


End file.
